Nongame and Rare Species Program:Federal Candidate and Petitioned Species Resources

Lesser Prairie-ChickenTympanuchus pallidicinctus

Lesser Prairie-Chickens were once found throughout short- and mid-grass prairies in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico. In 1998, the species recieved candidate status under the Endangered Species Act. On March 27, 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced their intention to list the species as threatened. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and other state fish and wildlife agencies included in the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Interstate Working Group developed a range-wide management plan to further conservation of the species. This page will be updated with the latest news and developing information on the Lesser Prairie-cChicken, the listing process and timeline, and the multi-state conservation effort.

December 11, 2012The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed listing the Lesser Prairie Chicken (LEPC) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
State fish and wildlife agencies, private landowners, oil and gas industry, conservation organizations, and federal agencies across the five states within the range of the LEPC are working together to
create a range-wide conservation plan, Southern Great Plains Crucial Habitat Assessment Tool, and voluntary landowner and industry conservation opportunities.
The success of these meaningful measures will be considered by USFWS in the coming year prior to the final listing determination and will continue to contribute to the conservation of the LEPC,
regardless of the listing outcome. One of the four Public Hearings will be held in Lubbock, Texas, on February 11th (Monday) from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The USFWS is accepting public comment
until March 11, 2013. More information on the listing proposal, public comment methods, and the public hearing in Texas can be found in
the Federal Register.